PMBOK's Five-Phase Project Lifecyle: An Overview

In 1969, five volunteers founded the Project Management Institute (PMI). Their aim was to set standards for project management, conduct research in improving the way projects are managed, and to provide the growing number of project managers the opportunity to exchange knowledge and educate themselves in the disciplines of project management.

Since then, PMI has been recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an accredited standards developer. One particular standard is the Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). The standard began in 1987 as an attempt to standardize the information and practices of project management that are generally accepted as good practice by the community of project managers.

This slideshow, based on research by our partners The Art of Service, gives you a strong overview of the five phases of the PMBOK methodology:

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